The word ‘humidity’ is usually reserved for daily weather forecasts and has little do with skincare. Today we’re going to explain how they’re more linked than you’d imagine at first glance. Researchers from AmorePacific and the Chung-Ang University College of Medicine conducted a study to determine how relative humidity (RH) during sleep affects our skin.
Turns out, humidity levels during sleep are pretty powerful. The researchers studied 11 women in their 20s and 30s and how their skin reacted to 7 or 8 hours of sleep at 30% relative humidity during the first night and 70% relative humidity during the second night. They measured skin hydration, sebum secretion, and trans‐epidermal water loss (TEWL) at these 3 instances:
- Before sleep (after washing)
- After 7 hours of sleep in the morning
- After washing again
Their results were quite impressive:
These results are not entirely surprising and somewhat intuitive when we consider how our skin responds to our environment:
- It can burn in the sun.
- It can get goose bumps (AKA cutis anserina) in the cold.
- Fingertips can turn into prunes after a good swim.
- Skin can even show signs of premature aging in pollution-laden environments.
It would only make sense that a dry sleeping environment would impact moisture levels in the skin. This study also shows the important link between dry skin and excess sebum production (compensation for dry skin).
Tips for keeping skin in tip-top shape while catching ZZZ’s:
- Humidify. Invest in a humidifier to increase the relative humidity in your room at night. There are many different kinds (warm/cool mist, evaporative mist, steam vaporizer) so find the one that’s right for you.
- Discover your green thumb. Plants add humidity to a room while also purifying the air. Win-win!
- Vitamize. Apply a Vitamin A serum to your skin before bed. Vitamin A is known to regulate sebum production. Choose a serum that also has hydrating hyaluronic acid, which increases your skin’s natural moisturizing factor over time, allowing your skin to produce its own natural moisture. Thankfully, RESET: Rebooting Night Serum has both Vitamin A and hyaluronic acid (plus: Vitamin C, probiotics, and anti-oxidants … but who’s counting?)
- Use Calibrated Cleansing. Instead of using a cleanser that is drying and strips your skin of natural moisture, look to a low-pH cleanser that will cleanse your skin gently and intelligently.
- Seal. No, not the cute little pups – or that guy married to Heidi. We’re talking about sealing moisture in your skin while you sleep. Look for oils high in linoleic acid (like hemp seed oil, grape seed oil, and argan oil) to lock in moisture without clogging pores. These oils strengthen your skin’s barrier function over time, thus preventing trans-epidermal water loss. Apply this super sealer overtop of your super serum and sleep soundly.
We call it beauty rest for a reason, so stay on top of your game and don’t let low humidity get you down!